Stay
by edwestick.chuckbass.lover
Summary: She was a girl with a dark and troubled past and she moved to New York City. He was the boy with the playboy reputation, and oh, how he loved new girls. But what happens when he takes a certain liking to her? And even better, what happens when he becomes involved in her past, one that could be dangerous and potentially life-threatening? Full summary inside. CxB. Chair. Always.
1. Chapter 1

**FULL SUMMARY: **Blair and her mother, Eleanor, have been running from something for as long as they can remember. Blair's father has always been a terrible man - coming home at all hours of the night drunk, wasting all of their hard-earned money on booze and drugs, bringing random whores into their home and sleeping with them right in front of Eleanor, and even going as far is physically abusing Eleanor and Blair. One night, he takes it too far, and beats Blair and Eleanor both so hard that neither of them can stand back up for hours. That's when Eleanor decides that she has let this go on for far too long. She and Blair packed up a few essentials and left one night while her father was at a bar, taking all of the money out of her trust fund, which happened to be more than enough, and which also was a trust fund that her husband knew nothing about, and they took the bus all the way to New York City, leaving behind only the divorce papers. This was a town that they knew was always busy and loaded with people, so how could he possibly find them there?

Eleanor buys them a penthouse and enrolls Blair in a private school on the Upper East Side called Constance, knowing that private schools are more safe. At this school, Blair meets Serena Van der Woodsen, the beautiful princess of the UES that takes Blair in as her own sister. Serena invites her to a party that her step-brother, Chuck, is throwing. They go to the party and have a blast. That's when Blair meets Chuck. He holds a certain fascination with her and the two grow very close, despite his reputation as a playboy. Blair then realizes that maybe she's becoming too close with the two of them, and if her father ever does find out where she and her mother are, he will destroy anyone and anything in his way. Naturally, Blair doesn't want her new friends to be hurt, so she pushed them away. They resist, however, and try to find out what's really going on. Can Blair Waldorf be saved from the past that she's desperately trying so hard to run away from? If Serena Van der Woodsen and Chuck Bass have anything to say about it, she can.

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><p>"BLAIR!" Her drunken father's words echoed across the house. She jumped to her feet, shaking from her inner core, terrified of what he could have possibly been yelling about. Her ribs ached from the last time he had punished her, knocked her to the floor and kicked her until she was numb. She could still feel the dull ache in her chest. She ran out of her room, closing the door behind herself quietly. Slamming the doors in the house was not prohibited, even if you were just closing it loudly be accident. "BLAIR!" He bellowed again. Uh oh. He never called twice. She knew this was bad.<p>

"I'm coming!" She managed to choke back. She knew that sounded rude and she was sure she would be punished. She bolted down the stairs to see her father standing in the doorway, hovering over her mother, who was crouched into the corner of the room, shivering in fear.

He looked up at his daughter, anger in his eyes. "Your mother has been talking to another man behind my back. Did you know about this man - Cyrus, is it - from Scotland?" There was malice in his voice, coating his every word as it spat out of his mouth like a habit.

Blair looked back and forth between her mother and father, eyes wide, unsure of what to say. What could she say that could get them out of this situation? Nothing. Nothing ever worked. Everything she said was wrong, stupid, ignorant, punishable. Her eyes widened even more as the seconds ticked by and she couldn't gather up her thoughts. Her father didn't like silence and he certainly didn't like unanswered questions. He crossed the room in two long strides, grabbing her hard by the hair. His fingers tangled so tightly in her hair that she thought he might pull each tiny little hair out of her scalp. "Well?" He demanded. She could smell the outrageous levels of alcohol on his breath, could see the redness the drugs gave him in his eyes.

She nodded slowly, figuring her best bet was to be honest. "Y-yes," she stammered. "But - but I think," she winced as he pulled tighter on her hair. "They're just friends!" She managed to squeak out.

"Liar!" Her father bellowed in her face, smacking her across the face. The blow echoed around the dark, quiet house. It was so hard that it knocked the air out of her lungs and the stability out of her legs, as she crashed to the ground with a thud, letting out a small cry. "There is no such thing as making new 'friends' when you're married." He kicked her in the gut. Hard. She let out a sob, hands shielding her face, even though she knew he would never hit her in the face. That's the one thing that was guaranteed. Her father would never hit her or Eleanor in the face, as bruises and scratches on the face would draw suspicion to the household. After he had had enough fun kicking Blair, he turned on Eleanor, and began whaling on her, harder than Blair had ever seen him attack her in her life - which had been many, many times. Blair tried to drag herself upward to her mother's rescue.

"Blair, no!" Eleanor pleaded, knowing this would only get her daughter into more trouble. Harold grinned evilly as he turned to Blair. He kneed her in the stomach. She fell to the ground once again, where he kicked her and kicked her until she was coughing up blood. And then she was puking and sobbing and choking on her own vomit and blood, which was an atrocious mixture. Eleanor lay helpless on the ground, watching the scene in horror. She knew that all she could do was pray and wait for it to be over. Soon… The thuds echoed across the house as he continued to kick Blair. The room was spinning, she couldn't breathe and then… it was all black.

When Blair awoke, her mother was at her side, clutching her eighteen-year-old daughter in her arms. Everything was blurry and everything hurt. She felt paralyzed. And for a moment, she was afraid she was, until she realized that if she could still feel the pain, that was a good thing. Her mother was stroking her hair and crying. She looked up at her, blinking rapidly, swallowing hard to ignore the pain. "I'm sorry, mom," she choked out. "I just wanted to help you."

Eleanor shook her head. "I'm sorry," she replied. "I'm the only one who should be sorry." She wiped her eyes and stood up, pulling Blair to her feet. "We're leaving."

Blair's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"Your father has gone to the bar. We must hurry before he gets back. Go pack your things. Not everything - only the things dear to you and the sum of your clothes. Whatever you don't have, we'll buy when we get there."

"But - but," Blair stuttered, trying to wrap her mind around the concept. "Where will we go?"

Eleanor looked around the house. For what, Blair was unsure. "I can't say, in case he's got the house wired." She gave Blair a strange look. "Somewhere safe, somewhere nice."

"But won't he find us?" Blair asked.

"We can only pray not," Eleanor said. "We'll go as far away as we can. I've got a taxi on its way as we speak. I've emptied my entire savings account, the money my parents left for me, the only money he didn't know we had. There was quite a bit more than I had thought in there. Enough to buy us a place and enroll you in school somewhere private, somewhere safe. I'll find a job, somewhere lowkey. Everything's going to be okay, sweetie." She kissed her daughter on the forehead. "I'm just sorry I let this go on for so long." She turned to walk up the stairs, pulling Blair along with her. Blair looked at her mother with awe. She was the strongest woman she knew for doing this.

They packed their things quickly. They left their cell phones at the house, knowing he would be able to track them if they took them with them. On the front table, Eleanor left divorce papers for him to sign, though they all knew he wouldn't give up that easily. Blair just prayed that maybe, somehow, he would come to his senses and see they were all better off alone. She and her mother could go live happily somewhere in the city, and he could stay at home, with his drugs and alcohol and horny women every night. Once they were in the cab, Blair felt a rush of relief. It wasn't too big and she knew it wouldn't be until they were out of this city. Blair felt her heart soar when she and her mother arrived at the bus station and got on a bus that was headed to the Big Apple. She had always wanted to live in New York City. Maybe not under the circumstances of hiding, but it was still always something she had aimed to do. She had visited there with her parents once before, when she was younger, when their family was happy, when things were different. Oh, how things had changed. And she wasn't even quite sure what had happened. Along the way, something in her father had snapped. Her father? He was not someone she wanted to call that. He may have been her father by blood but she deserved more of man than that as a father in her life.

The bus ride seemed to take forever - and it did. It took days and getting off at different stops to get on different buses and stopping at gas stations to pick up some grab 'n go food. She felt her heart swell when they finally entered the city. The lights were bright and there were people everywhere, even though it was eleven o'clock at night on a Thursday night. This was a city she could feel comfortable in - somewhere loud and busy, always full of people, somewhere she knew it would be hard for Harold to find him, out of all of these people.

They pulled up to a grand hotel when her mother informed her that they had purchased the penthouse at the very top of the hotel, and hired a maid named Dorota to help out with housework, as she would be working long hours at her new job. She informed Blair that she would be enrolled in a private school called Constance. She was very excited to start a new life, a life where she wouldn't have to live in fear every second of her day. Of course, she would still be a little on-edge and worried, but not until she had a reason to be. She was going to make the best of her new life. She was determined to. When they entered their new home, everything was already decorated beautifully. Blair looked at her mother in awe, realizing that this must have been something she had been planning for a very, very long time. Their new housemaid, Dorota, introduced herself to them. She had a very thick accent and a very beautiful face. She seemed like a very sweet and kind-hearted lady. She toured them around the penthouse and finally, they found Blair's room. It was big and spacious and everything was decorate in a pale pink. Her closet was full of clothes and shoes. Everything was perfect.

And for the first time in a long time, as Blair snuggled into her new satin covers, she felt comfortable.

She finally felt safe.

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><p><strong>AN**: Sorry about the shortness and awkwardness of this chapter. I'm not very good at introduction chapters! I promise the other ones will be longer. I'm just really excited for Blair to meet Serena and Chuck. I'm trying to be patient and take this story somewhat slow, though! Please review. I'd love to hear from you. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Blair woke up with a jolt, terrified by her most recent nightmare, her heart pounding in her chest, her father's abusive words echoing in her brain. It took her a moment to realize where she was and that she was far, far away from the wrath of her father. She looked over at the new alarm clock on her bed. It shone bright and red 7:15 am. She sighed. She had always been an early bird. She tossed her blankets aside, taking deep breaths. Suddenly, a scent hit her nose. It smelled like pancakes and croissants and omelettes. She jumped to her feet, feeling her stomach rumble loudly. She tiptoed down the stairs, the overpowering smell of coffee delighting her senses. She grinned from ear to ear when she saw her mother sitting at the dining room table, Dorota hustling and bustling around her.

"Hello, mother!" Blair chirped as she said next to her mother at the table. Eleanor jumped in shock and then smiled back at her daughter. "Good morning, Dorota. That smells delicious," she said, eyeing the food Dorota was setting down on the table in front of her.

"Help yourself, Miss Blair," Dorota said. "Big day. New school."

Blair looked at her mother, shocked. "I'm starting school today?" She was nervous at the thought of school again. She hadn't gone in a few weeks, as she had been beaten to a pulp and too hurt to go in. And this was a completely different school, with completely different people. Suddenly, she felt a yearning for her old friends. They hadn't contacted her in weeks, though, she had to remind herself. They weren't worth her time if they didn't care enough to make sure she was okay. The only person that had messaged her over IM was Dan. He had been her best friend for many years, though, so that was an exception. She closed her eyes and felt a guilty pang in her stomach. She had never gotten to say goodbye. She would have to send him a message and explain everything.

And then it occurred to her - she couldn't. That one message could somehow end up back to her father, revealing their whereabouts and everything. She would just have to start over, make new friends. But, oh, how she would miss Daniel Humphrey and his stupid smart remarks that made her grin from ear to ear and the way he could make her feel like there was no one else in the world beside the two of them, even if it were just for a little while. She grimaced, feeling a heavy brick on her chest. She swallowed hard and pulled herself back to reality, realizing her mother was speaking to her.

"Blair? Did you hear me? I figured you could start today. What better way to start your first new day in the city that by going to school and meeting new people? It will make you feel more comfortable, more confident." She watched her daughter's expressions carefully. "If you don't want to, I completely understand. I just thought it might be good for you."

"No, you're right," Blair smiled. "Of course I'll go." Dorota placed a plate of food in front of her and Blair felt her mouth water. It had been a long time since she had had a home-cooked meal. Dorota poured her a cup of coffee and Blair started to ask if she had creamer before Dorota automatically pulled Blair's favorite hazelnut creamer out and poured two tablespoons in. Blair looked up at her, awestruck. "How did you-"

"Miss Eleanor filled me in on the important things," Dorota replied. "I told her I want to know everything about Miss Blair." She smiled while stirring Blair's coffee. "I go make your bed and lay your uniform out on your bed. Pick you out perfect headband to match!" She skipped away, Blair watching her go.

"Thank you, mother," Blair said softly. "I'm so excited to start our new lives."

Eleanor smiled as she held onto Blair's hand. "Me too, darling. Now eat!"

Blair shoveled food down her throat, enjoying the fullness of her belly. Afterwards, she went upstairs to take a shower, blow dry her hair, do her makeup to perfection, and then style her hair in loose curls with the new straightener that was sitting on her bathroom counter. Before she put her clothes on, she looked carefully in the mirror at herself. For the first time in a long time, she felt pretty. Maybe that had a lot to do with how happy she felt at the moment, how free she felt. But then her eyes caught on the cuts and bruises on her body and she frowned. She ran her hand over the large bruise on her ribs and winced in pain. She dressed in her uniform, folding her skirt at the hem just to the perfect length on her thigh, pulling her white stockings up just enough to cover the nasty yellow and purple bruises on her knees.

When she finally descended the stairs, Eleanor was waiting at the bottom of the staircase with a short, tan girl with a rather large nose and a big smile. "Blair, this is Penelope," Eleanor said.

"Hi!" Penelope sang in a squeaky voice. "I saw you moving in last night! I live in the building a few floors down. I ran into your mother this morning in the lobby and we got to talking. Apparently, you'll be attending school with me, so I offered to walk you!" She linked arms with Blair. "We should leave a bit early so I can show you around the city a bit! Bye!" She waved at Eleanor, dragging a very confused and annoyed Blair behind her. Blair looked helplessly at her mother, who shrugged and laughed at her daughter's expression.

"Try to have a good day!" Eleanor called as the penthouse's elevator doors closed and it was just Blair and Penelope in the elevator.

"Love that headband," Penelope commented, eyeing Blair's hair. "And you look dang good in that uniform. One of the only girls at school that can pull that off, that's for sure." She grimaced, looking down at her own appearance.

Blair noticed the lack of self-esteem and took the moment to compliment how Penelope looked. "I think you look great."

"Really?" Penelope smiled at her. "Thanks. I'm trying to impress a boy." She laughed. "That sounds so childish. Feels like middle school all over again."

"Who's the boy?" Blair asked, trying to keep the conversation going. "What's he like?"

"His name is Nathaniel Archibald," Penelope gushed. "But he goes by Nate. He's really tall and tan and handsome and athletic and dreamy…" She trailed off, caught up in her own mind. "Anyway, he's with this girl named Serena, so there's only a small chance. I don't see what everyone sees in Serena in the least but I guess that's not up to me."

"Why don't you like her?" Blair asked. "It can't just be because of Nate."

Penelope squinted her eyes. "She just gets everything she wants. She just breezes through life, with no problems. She's tall, tan, beautiful, legs that go on for miles. She's hard to not be jealous of. It makes it even worse that she's such a nice girl." She screwed up her face in disgust, looking like she just tasted something revolting and she might vomit. "I just hate her."

"Ooookay," Blair murmured, under her breath. This girl seemed really uptight, definitely not the type of girl she would normally be friends with. It made her wonder if all of the girls at Constance were going to be like.

They walked the rest of the way to school, making simple conversation, stopping at local restaurants and shops to get Blair a little more familiar with the city. When they arrived at school, students littered the courtyard, chatting about Friday night plans and the previous night's boring amount of homework. Many turned to look at Blair as she passed by, clearly not recognizing her face. She just kept her head held high and walked at a semi-quick pace, just trying to make it to the building. As she climbed the stairs, she noticed a couple standing before them that she could already make out must have been Serena and Nate. They were the two most enchanting people she had ever seen in her entire eighteen years of life. Serena had long blonde hair and perfect skin and Penelope was right, legs that go on for miles. What Penelope didn't mention, was how much of a goddess Serena was. And then there was Nate. Exactly as Blair had pictured him when Penelope was describing him. He was a gorgeous man. The two looked like they could take over the world.

Serena looked up as Blair passed and gave her an encouraging and welcoming smile and Blair realized just what Penelope meant about the girl being nice. "Hi, Serena!" Penelope squeaked out as she passed by, trailing along behind Blair. Blair tried her hardest not to roll her eyes at Penelope's desperate need to be fake towards Serena. Oh, how she hated two-faced bitches. They entered the school building and Penelope led the way to the front office, where Blair filled out paperwork and got her course schedule, with a mix of other flyers about events and clubs in the school. Blair was getting her things together when the first bell rang and a boy walked out of the principal's office, a smug look on his face. She caught herself staring at him as he passed by, his masculine scent filling her nostrils. He had dark hair and dark eyes, the kind that might just bore right through your soul. He had a killer jawline and strong facial features and the kind of smirk that said he was a heartbreaker. She blinked rapidly and swallowed hard, tearing her eyes away from him.

"That's Chuck Bass," Penelope whispered in her ear as they left the office, watching him walk down the hallway to catch up with Nate and Serena. "He's Nate's best friend and Serena's step-brother. He's a hottie for sure as well. Probably just as hot as Nate, but the badboy, playboy thing is kind of a turn-off."

Blair nodded in agreement, realizing her mouth had gone completely dry. Penelope was right. He was sure good-looking. "I would probably be a player if I looked that good too," Blair admitted. Penelope laughed at her, and took her schedule out of her hand, leading her to her first class of the day.

The first few classes of the day went by with bliss. None of the teachers pointed her out and made her introduce herself in front of the class. None of her classmates stared at her for too terribly long or asked antagonizing questions about where she was from. It was just kind of calm. By lunch period, Blair was a little worried about where she would sit. She was tempted to just go sit in the girls bathroom, but she figured she might as well try it out and see if maybe Penelope had the same lunch as her. She walked into the cafeteria, the different scents filling her nose, reminding her of all those hours she spent in the cafeteria with Dan, talking and laughing about stupid things. School had been her safe zone. Dan had been her safety net. This was going to be hard.

She looked around desperately for Penelope but didn't recognize her in the growing crowd of students. She sighed and got into line to get her food, trying to decide on what she would eat. Suddenly, she felt someone poke her in the side. She tensed and then relaxed, realizing where she was. She turned over, hoping to see Penelope, but instead she saw Serena. "Don't eat the potatoes," Serena whispered, jokingly. "I heard they come from real potatoes. Ew."

Blair laughed at her poor joke. "I'm Blair. I'm-"

"The new girl," Serena filled in for her. "Yeah, I saw you this morning! With Penelope."

Blair smiled and nodded. "She seems...nice."

Serena giggled. "Yeah, if you like fake, two-faced friends. I'm Serena. I'm sure Penelope's told you all about me and how she wants to get with my boyfriend."

Blair smirked. "She may have mentioned it."

"We used to be best friends," Serena explained. "Then she became like really crazy jealous of me and tried to be like me and it was kind of weird. I kind of just spaced myself from her and then she kinda got stalkerish. Just be careful, okay?"

"Okay," Blair agreed. "So you're the one who runs this place?"

Serena laughed again. It wasn't fair that she had such a cute laugh and a perfect pearly-white smile. "Is that what she said?"

Blair nodded matter-of-factly. "Yeah, she also said that you and Nate are a power-couple. I wondered what that meant. Do you guys save the world? Do you have matching costumes? Interesting stuff."

Serena snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, we also have magic powers." She smiled at Blair. "So how's your first day going? Pretty boring?"

Blair shrugged. "It's been okay, I guess. Nothing too great has happened. I really think I'm going to like my English class. We're reading one of my favorite books."

"The Great Gatsby!" Serena said. "I love that book! I took that class last semester. It was a good class. We did a lot with that book. You'll have fun."

"Oh, so you're a Senior too?" Blair asked.

Serena nodded and held up three fingers, wiggling them back and forth. "Three more months and we're off to college! Any idea where you're planning to go?" They started to put food on their trays. Blair put a little less than Serena did, suddenly feeling very self-conscious of herself, as other people seemed to start to look in their directions.

"Not really," Blair said. She was being honest. She had no idea if she would even still be here in three months. It just depended on how things worked out. "You?"

"Brown," Serena smiled. "It sounds like a dream, compared to this dump."

"It's not so bad," Blair protested.

Serena shrugged. "Do you want to sit with me and my boyfriend and his friends?"

"His friends?" Blair inquired. "Aren't they your friends, too?"

"Hardly," Serena wrinkled her nose. "Mostly his weird jock friends. They're kind of annoying if you ask me, but don't tell him I said anything."

"It's between us," Blair replied softly, as Serena led her to the circular table full of people in the center of the room. Blair looked around at all the different faces, took in all of the different voices. There were so many people at the table that she wasn't even sure if she could fit.

"Hey! Chuck! Move your fat ass over," Serena swatted at a boy, who Blair instantly recognized as the boy she'd seen earlier, Serena's step-brother, Chuck. Blair jumped at Serena's loud voice.

"Calm down, sis," Chuck said under his breath, shifting so that the too-tan blonde with caked on makeup who was perched on his lap had to stand up. When Chuck ignored her, she huffed and stalked away. Chuck rolled his eyes and looked down at his phone, typing out a long message and sending it.

"Ewwww," Serena said, leaning over his shoulder to read the text. "That's disgusting!"

"I don't get the girls by just looking at them," Chuck shrugged calmly. _Though you could, _Blair thought to herself. "You gotta dirty talk 'em sometimes."

"What about that broad that was just on your lap?" Nate asked, scooting over so that Serena could sit down cozily next to him. "She was cute."

Chuck shrugged again nonchalantly. "She wasn't my type."

"Sit down, babe," Serena said to Blair, patting the seat in between her and Chuck. Blair squeezed between the two of them, trying to sit closer to Serena than to Chuck. When he looked up at her, she thought her heart might stop. Their eyes locked momentarily, light brown puddled into dark brown, before she forced herself to tear her gaze away. "Guys, this is Blair. She's very new here and very nice and very cute." She winked at Blair. "I like her."

Blair blushed as everyone looked at her. "Thanks," she murmured, poking at her food. How on earth was she supposed to eat with all of these people staring at her? Chuck's knee moved underneath the table and touched hers and Blair jumped. Chuck gave her a strange look. She was so jumpy these days and she hated it.

"Jumpy much?" Chuck asked.

"Sorry," Blair said.

"You okay, B?" Serena asked. "It is okay if I call you B, right?"

Blair nodded, liking the sound of that. She was really starting to like Serena, definitely a lot more than she liked Penelope. She was getting along so well with her that it felt like they had been friends for years. "I'll call you S."

"Awh, how cute," Chuck scoffed.

"Do you have a problem?" Serena demanded.

Blair frowned and kept her mouth shut. She didn't like the vibes coming off of Chuck right now and she had a strong feeling that he didn't like her. She poked at her food for a few more minutes before standing up. Serena looked up at her, concerned. "Everything okay? You hardly touched your food."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Blair said. "Just had a big breakfast. I'm going to go to the bathroom."

"You want me to come with?" Serena started to stand up.

Blair shook her head. "No, that's fine, thanks. You can stay here and finish your lunch."

"What's your next class?" Serena asked.

"Calculus," Blair said.

Serena shrieked with joy, causing Chuck to, once again, roll his eyes and causing Blair to, once again, feel uncomfortable and unwanted by him. "Me too!" She exclaimed. "Okay, I'll see you later, B."

"Bye, S," Blair said, scurrying away to the bathroom that she recalled Penelope telling her that the least people went in to. She checked to make sure that no one was in there and went into the very last stall. She got down on her knees and began gagging, trying to force herself to puke. She had no idea what had set it off. Maybe it was Chuck's cold attitude towards her or maybe it was just something inside of her. She had gone so long without puking up her food, months maybe. She just couldn't help it. And once she was finished, she felt much better about herself. She hated it. She hated having an eating disorder, but it was the only thing that made her feel the least bit in control of her life. She stepped out of the stall and rinsed her mouth out with warm water several times until the taste was long gone. Then, she popped in a piece of gum and stepped out of the bathroom.

She was caught off guard when she saw Chuck leaning against the wall next to the bathroom. For a moment, she thought she might have a panic attack. She took a deep breath and started to walk past him but he grabbed her arm. "Hey," he said, his voice rough and husky. She felt as if she might melt into a puddle right there. She felt blush creep up her cheeks and hoped it wasn't noticeable. What was he doing here? Had he heard her in the bathroom? "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Going to class?" Blair tried to sound uninterested in him, but she knew she was failing.

"Let me rephrase this," Chuck said softly. "What _were_ you doing?"

"I had to pee…" Blair tried, weakly.

Chuck shook his head at her. "Okay, never mind. Sorry I asked." With that, he stormed off, leaving a very confused Blair Waldorf behind him.

After giving herself a couple of seconds to clear her head of this jumble of thoughts, she made her way to her calculus class, excited to see Serena again. Serena was sitting at a table for two people and she waved Blair over to her. "I'm so glad you're in this class now!" Serena said. "I hated everyone in this class. What took you so long? You left before me."

"I ran into Chuck in the hallway," Blair said. "I don't know why but I kind of get the feeling that he doesn't like me."

"Oh, nonsense," Serena said, brushing it off. "Chuck can be a dick sometimes. He doesn't mean it. Well...not all the time, anyway." She looked at Blair. "Hey, he's having a party tonight at our penthouse. You should come!"

"Oh, I don't know if that's a good idea-"

"Blair, you have to! I really need a girl with me. I don't wanna go alone."

"But, aren't you going with Nate?" Blair pointed out.

Serena shook his head. "No, this is the kind of party where you show up with your girls. It's not some...dingy couple get together. It's show up looking hot with a hot girl," she winked at Blair, "get drunk off of our asses, forget about our problems, dance, and have the time of our lives."

Blair laughed. "Well, I have to-"

"You don't have to do anything!" Serena said. "Don't make up excuses. I need you with me. I'll pick you up at eight. No more protesting," she said, before Blair could say anything else. Blair fake-glared at Serena and she grinned back at her as the teacher began talking.

Well, this night was going to be very interesting...

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><p><strong>AN: **So, this was kind of a filler chapter of Blair becoming friends with Serena and meeting Chuck. Wondering why he's so cold toward her? We will find out, won't we!? Haha. Anyway, this chapter was a little longer for ya and I hope you liked it! The next chapter will be Chuck's party and it's going to become very fun after this! I'm thinking maybe it will be M rated here in a couple chapters, if you know what I mean... Love you all! Don't forget to review!~ :)


	3. Chapter 3

Serena walked Blair home from school that day and they chatted about the party that night and what they should wear and how much fun they were going to have. Honestly, Blair was excited to be going out and having fun and trying to forget about things. When Serena dropped her off at her door, she dashed upstairs to gush to her mom about her day, only to find that her mom wasn't there. She started to panic until she found a little Blackberry cellphone on the table with a sticky note on it with her name on it. She realized that this must be her new phone and she picked it up, seeing one new message from her mom. "Working late, sorry. First day on the job is rough. Hope school was good. C u tonite? Love u."

Blair laughed at her mother's text lingo and texted back that she was going out with a friend tonight and that she loved her too. Her mother responded that she was thrilled that Blair had made a friend so quickly and she couldn't wait to hear about her night tomorrow. Blair smiled as she put her phone down and rushed upstairs to try and figure out what to wear. This process would take hours, especially with how picky Blair was with outfits. After a few hours of careful planning, she decided upon a black tube dress that was very tight-fitting around her curves, a brilliant diamond statement necklace, some coral blue pumps, and her hair up in a loose-fitting bun, with her hair in loose curls, framing her face perfectly. She smiled at herself in the mirror. When she heard the elevator doors ding and open, she sucked in a breath, panic creeping into her skin.

"Hello?" she heard Serena's voice call into the penthouse.

Blair smiled and walked downstairs. "Wow!" Serena said in surprise, eyeing Blair up and down. "You look great, B! Seriously."

"Thanks!" Blair smiled softly. "So do you, of course." Serena responded by doing some weird little groovey dance, shaking her butt around. Blair laughed at her. "I'm kind of excited!"

"Yeah, me too!" Serena gushed, honestly. "We're gonna have fuuuun."

"How are we getting home?" Blair asked, realizing she hadn't even thought about it. "Well, I guess you live with your step-brother, so you'll already be home. How will I get home, though?"

"You're staying with me! We're getting drunk tonight, I don't want you trying to find a way home and getting lost and stolen or something," Serena replied, jokingly. "You can just sleep in the guest bedroom!"

"Okay," Blair smiled.

"So are you ready?" Serena asked. "The limo is waiting downstairs."

"Limo?" Blair asked, eyes widening.

"Serena Van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf arrive in style," Serena giggled. "Chuck let me borrow his limo. His driver, Arthur, is really cool."

Blair nodded in amazement as they went down to the limo. Once inside, Blair was again awestruck by the coziness of the limo. It was large and dark but still perfectly light enough to see. It was beautiful. She truly felt like royalty and she was loving every single second of it. She wasn't used to being dazzled like this.

When they arrived, there were many limos in front of them, letting girls in dangerously short dresses and skirts out and running up to the hotel. Serena and Blair made their way up to the penthouse arm in arm, being checked out by several men on their way up. Blair was sure they were looking at Serena more than they were her, but she couldn't help but feel some of their eyes lingering on her hips. Serena may have been tall and had amazing legs, but Blair had a perfect hour-glass figure. She blushed as they entered the party. The music was blasting and there were girls and guys dancing everywhere. Waiters were wondering around with drinks in hand and Blair immediately spotted Chuck standing behind the bar, pouring a drink for himself. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment and she dared not to look away. He must have felt her gaze on him, for he looked up at her and smiled momentarily.

Blair was forced to look away when Serena dragged her over to the center of the room and started dancing like crazy, taking two shots from the waiter and handing one to Blair. "To having a good night," Serena said.

Blair nodded in agreement and took the shot, searing her throat as it went down. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she chest burned. She had never liked the taste of vodka. Before she knew it, Serena was handing her shot after shot, surely trying to get her black-out drunk. They danced for what felt like forever before Blair felt someone's hands on her hips. Her whole body went rigid until she realized who it was. She didn't even look behind her but she knew exactly who it was. It was Chuck. His hands were so tight on her hips that she thought they might bruise. She didn't mind, though, she she continued dancing and grinding her hips against him. She looked up and realized Serena had disappeared into the crowd and Chuck whipped her around to face him. She gasped in surprise, their faces only inches away from touching.

"You look ravishing," Chuck whispered huskily into her ear.

"Thanks," Blair grinned. She was too drunk to even feel embarrassed or blush. She just kept dancing against him, loving the way his body felt against hers, and loving the music that was blasting around the room. If she could have stayed in that moment forever, she would have. She had completely forgotten about the events that had occurred in the last few days. All she cared about was how good and happy and free she felt at the moment.

"I didn't like the way those guys were looking at you," he murmured into her ear, his breath hot on her neck. She almost forgot where she was and that there were tons of people surrounding her but she didn't care. None of them were paying a lick of attention to her. Only Chuck was. He was watching her with amazement as she danced in front of him.

"Why not?" she teased, swinging her hips dramatically. She realized exactly what he meant when a guy next to her look at her and winked. She giggled at the look on Chuck's face.

He turned her back around, pulling her hips back against his pelvis in one swift moment. Her lips parted the tiniest bit and she felt a sudden surge between her legs. She was hot - seriously sweating. But she didn't care, and as the music picked up, so did her hips. She gasped again and then let out a small moan when she felt Chuck's lips on her neck and his hand danced lightly across her collarbone, stirring up something inside of her that she didn't even know was there to begin with. She felt him bite down gently and she purred out his name. "Chuuuuuck."

"I want you," he whispered into her ear seductively. And just like that, he was gone. The warmth of his body was no longer behind her, he was no longer pressed up against her, his lips were no longer on her, his scent no longer filled her nostrils.

She whipped around, disappointed, to see him disappearing through the crowd slowly. She furrowed her brow, confused. Did he want her to follow him? She started to, but then she felt a tug on her arm. Serena twirled her around and they both began to laugh as the danced fervently again, taking a few more shots from people who handed them to them. After about half an hour of dancing with Serena, she had almost forgotten about the incident with Chuck. Then, she suddenly remembered and looked desperately around for him, standing on her tiptoes to try and get a better view.

"Who are you looking for?" Serena asked.

"Chuck," Blair called back over the music. "Have you seen him?"

Serena pointed over to the bar and Blair shifted her gaze in that direction, only to feel her heart drop to her stomach. There was some floozy bitch with a fake-tan and a skimpy dress that had flung herself all over him. She turned around, feeling sick to her stomach. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom!" She called to Serena, who nodded and waved her away. "I'll find you." She practically ran to the bathroom, not realizing that Chuck's gaze followed her as she went. She forgot to lock the door behind her, too busy worrying about whether or not she should turn the sink on to create more noise so no one would hear. She decided against it and crouched down by the toilet, ready to empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Then, she wobbled and fell back against the counter, collapsing and sliding down it, feeling weak. She had almost let herself cave.

The bathroom door opened and she gasped as she looked up in surprise to see Chuck standing there. He closed the door behind him and locked it. She swallowed hard. "Hey, where did you go?" he asked softly. He sat down beside her, leaning against the counter.

"I could ask you the same thing," Blair said.

"Oh, you mean earlier? When we were dancing?" he asked. Blair just looked at him. "I had to go or I thought I might just take you right there." He chuckled and Blair looked at him with wide eyes. "Kidding!" He laughed. "But seriously. You're hot. I was watching you from the bar the entire time. And then you left. Why?"

Blair gave him a glare. "Yeah, I bet you were enjoying watching me, with that bimbo all over you."

Chuck looked offended for a moment. "Blair," he said.

"I got a vibe earlier that you didn't like me," Blair said slowly. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Chuck shook his head. "Why would I dance with you if I didn't like you?"

"The same reason you had that tramp on you," Blair replied.

"Bull shit," Chuck said. "I wasn't even giving her the time of day. I told you I wanted you, and I meant it. Earlier, at school, I'm sorry if I came across as rude. I didn't mean to. I just thought you were really beautiful - in a different way than all those other girls I've been with. I don't know…"

Blair smiled a little bit. "Really?"

"Yeah," Chuck said, running his hand through his already messy hair. "It just felt really unusual because I wasn't just attracted to you physically...it was like I wanted to date you...or something," he laughed awkwardly. "It was weird, I don't know."

Blair laughed too. "It's not that weird, Chuck. Those are normal people feelings."

"Yeah, but I know nothing about you," Chuck pointed out.

Blair got quiet and glanced away. "You don't need to…"

"I do," Chuck said. He took two fingers and placed them under Blair's chin, turning her face to force her to look into his eyes. "I want to. I want to know everything about you, Blair. But you don't have to tell me, if you're not ready. But can we start with me asking...what exactly you're doing sitting in the bathroom at a bomb-ass party?"

Blair forced a laugh. "I don't know. I had to pee but I'm too drunk to."

Chuck's face hardened. "How about try telling me the truth. I heard you earlier, at school, puking…"

Blair sighed and stood up, wobbling a little bit, and grabbing the counter for support. "You don't know anything about me, Chuck. And you didn't hear anything," she snapped. "I just had a bad egg for breakfast this morning or something."

Chuck looked at her as he stood up, concerned. "Look, Blair, if you need help-"

"Mind your own damn business," Blair snapped again, storming off past him and out of the bathroom.

"Blair!" he called after her, following her out, trying to catch her, but it was too late. She had disappeared into the throng of dancing people. He sighed loudly and frowned, trying to figure her out. Someday, he would know what was going on in that beautiful mind of hers. But for now, he would just wait for that day to come.

Blair succeeded in finding Serena again, dancing on Nate. Blair took it in turn to dance on Serena, so the three of them were in a line. Serena was giggling in her ear as she took another shot and they all danced together. "You're a good dancer, Blair!" Serena yelled in Blair's ear. Blair grinned and turned to the guy next to her, the same guy that had winked at her earlier.

"You wanna dance?" She asked. Before he even had time to respond, she had pressed her backside up against him, pressing into him and grinding her hips back and forth, like she had done before with Chuck. Only this time, it didn't feel the same. Something felt weird. She assumed it was because it wasn't Chuck. She rolled her eyes. Chuck was an asshole who needed to stay out of her business. When they guy started to put her hands on her hips, she jumped violently, suddenly uncomfortable.

Before too long, she felt someone pulling her away from the guy she was with. She looked up, panicked, and let out a sigh. It was none other than Chuck Bass himself. He yanked her through the crowd of people, holding tightly onto her wrist. He was not letting her escape him again. "What are you doing?" She yelled, when he drug her into the hallway, away from all the music and partiers.

"Please talk to me," Chuck said. "I just want to know what's going on."

Blair ripped her hand away from Chuck and tried to walk away but he grabbed her again, this time around the waist - hard. She jumped. Again. Damn, she wished she could stop being so jumpy. He spun her around to face him so that their lips were inches apart again. "What do you want from me, Chuck?" Blair demanded, haughtily.

Before she knew what was happening, his lips were on hers, moving against hers like that was exactly where they belonged, soft and warm and passionate. And she felt a safety net tighten around her as he deepened the kiss, pressing her against the wall, his body pressing into hers as she melted into him. When the need to breathe become too necessary, he pulled away from her, leaving her leaning against the wall, breathless. And then he was gone again, just like before. He disappeared around the corner, leaving Blair panting and awestruck and melting into a puddle on the floor.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Again, shorter chapter. Sowwy. :c I really liked this one though! Plenty of Chuck and Blair. Hope you enjoyed. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Blair awoke the next morning with a pounding headache and a terrible stomach ache. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the brightness of the room before she realized she was still at Serena's. She flopped over in bed, huffing and sighing loudly. "Good morning, sunshine," Serena's voice said. Blair sat up suddenly, startled by Serena's sudden appearance. "Have a good night?"

Blair groaned, her heart rate slowing down. "I have the worst hangover in the history of hangovers."

Serena giggled. "You don't drink much, do you?" When Blair shook her head, Serena tossed her a bottle of blue powerade and a bottle of ibuprofen. "Those will help with your head and stomach. Also, to help with your stomach, you'll need to eat." Blair looked terrified. Serena nodded. "I know that sounds like the worst thing ever right now because you probably feel like you're gonna puke. You won't. You just need a full stomach. I promise once you start eating, you'll feel ten times better. I've had my fair share of hangovers."

Blair popped the pills and chased it with her powerade. She chugged a little bit more of the powerade and then threw her legs over the side of the bed. She looked down at the oversized t-shirt she was wearing and she couldn't remember how she had gotten it on. Honestly, she couldn't even remember how she got to bed. "What happened last night?" Blair groaned, placing her hand over her head and shuffling towards Serena.

"Don't ask me," Serena said. "I woke up in my bathroom. On the bright side, no puke in the toilet. I think I may have fallen asleep trying to puke. I don't really know." She shrugged, not seeming to really care what had happened. "Nate and I had sex."

"How do you know?" Blair asked. "I thought you couldn't remember anything."

"I don't," Serena said. "But after I woke up, I went back to my room and Nate was in my room, naked in my bed, with a used condom in the trash, and I'm wearing his t-shirt and my dress was on the ground."

"Oh," Blair said. "Lucky you!"

Serena laughed. "I guess you could say that. Let's go find some food in the kitchen." The pair shuffled down the stairs and into the kitchen, where they found Chuck passed out on the couch, a shot glass in his hand. Serena took the glass out of his hand gently and then ripped the blinds open really suddenly, as light flooded abruptly into the room. Chuck let out a loud grunt and his hands flew to cover his eyes. "Wakey wakey!" Serena sang.

Even Blair wanted to kill her. She was entirely too chipper for the hangover she must have been experiencing. "Sister," Chuck said, trying to remain calm. "What ever do I owe the pleasure?"

"We're trying to find food," Serena said. "I figured you might wake up and eat too."

"Always taking care of me, so sweet," Chuck muttered, rubbing his face with his hands. "What time is it?"

Serena looked at her clock on the wall. "It is four in the afternoon, my dear brother."

Chuck groaned even louder. "Where's Nate?"

"Naked in my bed," Serena said nonchalantly.

Chuck made a gagging noise and sat up, finally removing his hands from across his face and blinking to adjust to the light in the penthouse. His gaze settled on Blair, who was wearing an oversized t-shirt, which just so happened to be his. His face turned up into a grin. She looked much better in it than he ever could. He didn't say anything to her about it being his so he wouldn't embarrass her in front of Serena. "Let's see what's for breakfast, ladies," he said, pushing himself up off the couch and making his way into the kitchen. He opened the fridge. "We haaaaaave," he said. "One egg, a teeny tiny bit of milk, a piece of ham, and a piece of pie." He closed the fridge.

"I'll call room service," Serena offered happily.

"No, I will," Chuck said. "You need to go wake up your maggot of a boyfriend, dress him, and have him come eat. It'll be here in ten." He picked up the phone and spoke only shortly before hanging up. He looked around the room. "The place is trashed. Good thing the parents aren't coming home until next weekend." He winked at Blair, who blushed in return.

As soon as Serena disappeared up the stairs, Chuck made his way over to her, playing with the edge of the shirt, which, if moved any higher, would reveal a little more than her upper thigh… "You know," he whispered. "This is my shirt."

Blair blinked at him. "I don't know how I got in it… Oh my god did we-"

"No," Chuck cut her short. "I remember last night. Most of it. I kissed you and then went back to the bar and got so drunk that I couldn't even talk and Serena and you got in the shower together, which I would have been thrilled to watch if it weren't my sister-" Blair punched him on the shoulder "-but I didn't because I couldn't even walk. And then, the two of you went to bed, separately I might add, seeing as Serena slept with her boyfriend somehow. You must have found my shirt somehow. After you guys went to sleep, the party died down a lot and I passed out not too long after. Fun night, though." He winked at her again, enjoying the blush that crept its way onto her facial features.

"I do think," Chuck said. "That you look even better in that t-shirt and your messy bun than you did last night. Which is very hard to master because you looked absolutely tasty last night…Just as I imagine you are." Blair swallowed hard, looking up at him with doe eyes through long lashes. "You were incredible, when you danced. You are so…" he bit his lip. "Sexy." He bent down to her level.

Blair's heart raced in her chest. She never was one to make the first move. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes and before she could prepare herself to kiss him, he was already kissing her, hard and deep, even better than last night. It was the kind of kiss that would leave her breathless and yearning for more. It was the kind of kiss that would keep her mind reeling all day long. It was the kind of kiss that made her lock her fingers in his hair as he cupped her face in his hand and moved to stand in between her legs. She moved her hips forward to be closer to him and he obliged, pressing himself against her. His lips moved on hers with urgency and she wasn't sure what was going to happen next. If his sister and her boyfriend weren't right upstairs and if the room service wasn't about to be here at any moment, who knows where it would have went. But it was cut too short for the both of them, as there was a high-pitched ding of the elevator doors opening up. Chuck pulled away from Blair, much to her dismay.

He walked toward the elevator, took the room service cart and dismissed the man with a thank you, before rolling it over to where Blair sat on the bar stool, looking disheveled and marvelous. He wanted her. He wanted to take her right there. He wanted to feel her all over him, to taste her skin again, to feel the heat of her body against his. He swallowed hard as he heard Serena and Nate approaching. He tried to compose himself, tried not to give himself away. He didn't want his sister to be mad at him for hitting on her friend. She always got mad about things like that.

"We're heeeere!" Serena sang, her arm wrapped around Nate's waist tightly, basically dragging him into the kitchen. Blair jumped abruptly at their appearance and Chuck gave her a strange look. "And we're hungry, aren't we, Nate?"

Nate murmured something inaudible and all three of them laughed.

"He'll be fine once he's got some food in him," Chuck said. And they all ate until their stomach's were full and they were satisfied. Blair panicked as soon as she realized that she had been here all day and night and hadn't checked her phone. Come to think of it, she wasn't exactly sure where her phone was… As if he read her mind, Chuck pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to her. "You dropped it last night and I picked it up."

Blair turned it on and saw a ton of missed calls from her mom. Her heart skipped a beat. Her mom was probably worried sick about her, after all that had happened. She was probably worried that Harold had somehow found her. Her stomach twisted into a tight knot when she thought about her father. She hadn't thought about him in a couple of days and it was so nice not to worry. But the feeling in her gut was so prominent right now that she thought she might hurl. She had never thought about what would happen if Harold did happen to find them. She was sure they would be in big trouble, sure that he would kill them.

She looked around at Nate, Serena, and Chuck. She was so glad to have them in her life. They were the only people keeping her happy right now. She smiled at them and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She excused herself and left the room to call her mom. "Hi, mom," she said, as soon as her mom answered the phone. "I'm so sorry I didn't call sooner. Please don't be mad at me. We were up really late and we slept basically all day. We just now got up and started moving around and I forgot to call. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry, darling," Eleanor's voice replied. "I'm just glad to hear you're okay. Did you have fun?"

"Yes, so much fun!" Blair said. "I met some people. They're so nice. I can't wait for you to meet them!"

"Me either, dear," Eleanor said.

"Do you mind if I spend the rest of the today at Serena's?" Blair asked.

Eleanor hesitated. "I don't know, honey," she said. "I don't know this girl and I'm a little worried since…"

"Yeah, I know," Blair said, her heart sinking. "It's just nice to be with people who make me forget, you know?"

"Of course, sweetie..I have to tell you something," Eleanor started. "Cyrus is on his way over."

"That's great, mom!" Blair said.

"I know, I'm so excited," Eleanor said. "I only had Dorota all day for company and she's not much of a talker! More of a lecturer of sorts. He mentioned that he was in the city and it was really thrilling for me to hear. I was really looking forward to he and you meeting over dinner! His treat."

"Okay," Blair smiled. "Love you, mother."

"I love you too, darling," Eleanor said. "Bye bye."

Blair hung up the phone and returned to the living room, where Nate and Serena were curled up on the couch watching Netflix and Chuck was sitting across from them. He looked up at Blair as she reentered the room, raising his eyebrows at her, questioning her. "My mom," Blair explained sheepishly, feeling childish having to check in with her mom. Clearly these teens knew nothing about having to check in with parents. How could they, throwing crazy parties like that and not even fearing that their parents could return at any moment? Chuck nodded at her. "I've got to get going."

Serena sat up and pouted at Blair. "But we just put on Tiffany's."

Blair's eyes lit up. "I love Tiffany's!" She exclaimed loudly. Chuck grinned at her excitement, Serena giggled, and Nate shook his head. "But I really have to go," she said sadly. "But I hope to see you guys soon."

"Go upstairs and borrow some leggings and shoes of mine so you don't have to go home like that or in the dress you wore last night. I'll text you, B," Serena smiled, standing up and wrapping her in a tight hug. "We'll make plans."

"I'll text you," Chuck winked.

"Me too!" Nate joked, pretending to feel left out.

Blair laughed and turned around, feeling extremely sad to leave her newfound friends. They were all so great and fun to be around. She realized that she hadn't even thought about her father since yesterday before the party. Maybe she should do more things like that to keep herself busy. But, for now, she needed to go see her mother. She stopped upstairs to get dressed in some of Serena's clothes and left their penthouse. She stepped out on the curb to catch a taxi before a dark-skinned man who she immediately recognized as Chuck's driver waved her over. "Chuck's friend? You're riding with me."

Blair smiled and blush crept up her cheeks for the thousandth time. Of course Chuck had called his limo for her. He was amazing. She climbed into the limo, relaxing against the leather seats with the light music playing. She had gotten so cozy that she hadn't realized that they were stopped in front of her hotel. She hopped up and went upstairs, where she found her mother already dressed and sitting prim and proper, her legs crossed at the ankles, looking gorgeous in a long dress and hair curled to frame her face. "Mother, you look darling!" She hugged her mom, who grinned at her like she was her most prized possession. There was a ding behind them as a short, bald man entered their suite.

"Cyrus!" Eleanor sang.

Blair was a little surprised by her mother's taste in men but didn't question it. If her mother was happy, she was happy for her. Ecstatic for her, actually. Cyrus was dressed up in a smooth black tuxedo with a tie. Blair realized she was about to be a third wheel and shifted uncomfortable. Cyrus wrapped Eleanor in a hug and whispered into her ear. He turned to Blair, who held her hand out for him to shake, but he laughed and took her into a bear hug. When he pulled away, he immediately hugged her again, singing, "Not enough!" He pulled away again. "You are beautiful, Blair, just like your mother. And such an angel. I've heard such great things about you."

"Have you?" Blair smiled, looking at her mother, who smiled in return. She thought for a moment, before tapping on her mother's arm and pulling her over to the side. "Mother," she started. "I'm thinking that just you and Cyrus should go out tonight. I've met him, just like you wanted, and he seems wonderful. I don't want to be burden on your first night out with him. Plus I'm not even ready yet and you know I hate feeling rushed to get ready. I can just stay here and hang out with Dorota. I wouldn't mind some time to myself, actually."

"Blair, honey, are you sure?" Eleanor asked, concerned. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course!" Blair chirped. "There's just this book I've really been wanting to read."

"Okay," Eleanor said, kissing her daughter on the head, and walking over to Cyrus to tell him Blair wouldn't be coming with them tonight. He looked a little saddened by the news but quickly reverted back to his chipper state.

"You have a good night!" He called to Blair as she walked back upstairs to her room.

"You too," Blair replied, grinning down at him and her mother, as they walked toward the elevator. She opened her bedroom door, seeing that her bed was made and the room was tidied up neatly. That must have been the work of Dorota. She smiled as she laid down on her bed, pulling her cellphone out. She had two texts. One from Serena and one from Chuck, just as they had promised.

The one from Serena read: _Movie tomorrow night? (Btw, Nate says hi.)_

Blair laughed out loud and texted back a quick reply that she would love to catch a movie with Serena tomorrow and then she anxiously opened the text from Chuck.

_Miss you already._

She felt as if she might melt into a puddle in the carpet.

_I miss you too, _she replied, her heart leaping up into her throat. She swallowed hard before sending another text. _Come over? Home alone besides the maid. Bored._

She wait ever-so impatiently for his response.

_I'll be there in a heartbeat._

Suddenly, she felt like a giddy schoolgirl. She stripped into her favorite flannel pants and a tank top, folding Serena's clothes on the end of her bed to give to Chuck when he left. She was so excited to see him, though it had only been a matter of hours, or minutes maybe, that she'd seen him. She laid there forever thinking about Chuck.

A loud thump downstairs brought her out of her daydream. She jumped violently and then tried to pass it off as Dorota. It was a little too early for Chuck, unless he had already been in his car when she texted him. But then she heard another noise, even louder, and crept down the stairs to check it out. "Dorota?" She called out. "Is that you?"

"In Mrs. Eleanor's room, Miss Blair!" Dorota called back to her from upstairs.

Blair's heart hammered in her chest, threatening to burst. She tiptoed into the living room. The lights were out. Dorota must have turned them out for the evening. The only source of light was from the lamp by the piano in the very corner of the room. She looked around cautiously, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. The curtain moved across the room. She walked slowly toward it, as if she were afraid something might pop out at her, like in some kind of horror movie. Her hand hovered over the fabric of the curtain and as soon and she yanked it open, deciding it was better to pull it open quickly like pulling off a band-aid.

She felt a hand on her back that sent shivers up her spine. She froze, her breath catching in her throat.


	5. Chapter 5

Blair whipped around. "Chuck!" She let out a sigh of relief. Her heart skipped a beat. "You scared the shit out of me, you bastard!" She punched him lightly in the chest.

"Sorry," he said. "What were you doing, anyway?"

"I thought I...saw something...I don't know," Blair sighed.

"Are you alright?" Chuck asked, placing his hand on her waist. "Is there something wrong? You're acting like you're really scared."

"I was," Blair admitted. "I'm a little jumpy these days."

"I'll say," Chuck laughed. "Shall we go up to your room? I brought Tiffany's."

Blair's face broke out into a huge smile as she looked up at him. She lead the way upstairs and closed her door behind her. Chuck turned on her flat screen television and placed the movie into the DVD player. He made himself comfortable by stretching out on the bed, patting the area on his chest, inviting her to come lay with him. She trotted over to his side and cuddled up against him, enjoying the warmth of his body. She heard the light pitter-patter of raindrops on her window and snuggled closer to Chuck, who wrapped an arm lazily around her waist. They watched the movie in silence - well, Blair quoted along with a few lines. She had the entire movie memorized. It was her favorite. Throughout the movie, Chuck would caress her waist or chuckle at Blair quoting along with it.

When it was finished, Chuck put in another movie. To Blair's dismay, it was a horror movie. It was Insidious 2, which Chuck said he had yet to see. She ruled it out as alright because at least if she got scared, she had Chuck here to make her feel safe. As if on cue with the change of movie, the storm picked up outside, thunder rolling its way into the city. Just as someone screamed on the movie, the thunder boomed and lightening struck and Blair swore she jumped five feet off of the bed. She even let out a little shriek. She looked at Chuck, a little embarrassed.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Chuck asked. "Is the movie scaring you? We can turn it off."

"No, it's okay," Blair said, placing her head on his chest.

He kissed the top of her head. They watched the rest of the movie and she jumped several more times throughout it. When it was finished and the credits began to roll, she sat up. "Okay, that was a little-" A loud snore cut her off and she realized Chuck was asleep. She giggled at the way his mouth hung open a little bit. He was crazy to have fallen asleep during a movie that jumpy. She shook her head and stood up, turning the movie off.

She debated on whether or not she wanted to wake Chuck up. Her mother would kill her if she found him here in the morning, but he looked way too cute and comfortable to wake up, so she decided against it and snuggled up to his side again, closing her eyes.

_Serena, Chuck and Nate were standing on the side of a river and she was on the opposite side. She wanted to badly to get to them but the water was too deep to wade through and the rapids were too rough. "Blair!" They called to her, laughing, taunting her. Then, a fourth person joined them. He was tall and dark and his face couldn't be seen. He laughed an evil, psychotic laugh. He pushed Serena into the river and she floated away in the currents, her body limp. The man then turned to Chuck, pulling him towards the edge of the river. Blair began to scream as the man's face came into view. It was her father. He grinned an evil grin at her as she tried desperately to reach Chuck across the river. "No!" She screamed. "Don't hurt them! Stop!"_

She woke abruptly to someone shaking her violently. She looked up with wide eyes, her eyes adjusting to the brightness in the room. "Blair!" Chuck was saying, his face looming over hers, as he shook her. "Blair, wake up."

She sat up and stared at him for a moment, her mind trying to register what was happening. She was so confused. When she finally realized that she had been dreaming and this was real, she was utterly embarrassed. She must have been tossing and turning and screaming. That was the worst dream she'd had in a long, long time. "Blair, are you alright? You were screaming and freaking out."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Blair said, heat rising in her face. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Chuck said, softly, pulling her into his arms. She instantly felt safe. "What happened? Bad dream?"

"I'll say," Blair said.

"How bad? What happened?"

Blair chewed on the inside of her lip. She couldn't tell him. Then he would know something was wrong and she would have to explain the situation with her father. She just wasn't ready to tell anyone yet - especially not Chuck. She was just getting to know him and she really liked him. He was so kind to her and so attractive that it hurt. "Oh, you know," she said. "Just something involving that old lady from Insidious."

"I'm sorry," Chuck said, rubbing soothing circles on her arm. "I should have never made you watch that movie. I never would have if I knew scary movies gave you nightmares."

"Chuck, it's okay," Blair said.

"Well, don't be scared anymore, okay?" Chuck said. "I'm here. I'll protect you."

"Why are you so nice to me?" Blair asked, mesmerized.

"Because I like you," Chuck said, as if it were no big deal.

"I thought that Chuck Bass didn't 'like' girls. I thought he only wanted to sleep with…" She trailed off, catching the hurt expression on his face. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"

Chuck shook his head. "No, Blair, it's no problem. I knew this was going to come up eventually." He paused before continuing. "I know I have a reputation. A bad one. But I really do like you. I don't just want to sleep with you. I mean, hell, I want to do that, but that's not all I want from you. I think you're absolutely beautiful, sexy, smart, sweet, kind, so generous - there's just something about you that I feel inclined to spend all of my hours with you."

"But you hardly know me," Blair pointed out.

"I know, which is exactly how I know," Chuck said. "If it were just a sex thing, I would have gotten bored by now and left you alone. I can't stay away from you, even if I tried." He placed two fingers under her chin and tilted her head up to meet his eyes and pressed his lips gently to hers.

"So what does this mean?" Blair asked.

"Well, if it's not too soon," Chuck said. "And if it is, that's fine - but if it isn't, I would really like to try that dating thing."

Blair giggled at how nervous he was acting. His fingers were playing with the edges of her comforter. She kissed his lips again, making the first move for once.

"Is that a yes?" Chuck asked happily.

"Yes," Blair murmured against his lips, kissing him again. She looked over at the alarm clock, realizing it was four in the morning. "Did you hear my mother come home?" She asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I think so," Chuck said. "I think she was a bit tipsy, I heard stumbling in the hall shortly before your nightmare."

Blair sighed out in relief.

"Back to sleep?" Chuck asked, reaching up to turn her lamp off. "This time, no nightmares, okay?" Blair nodded in agreement and fell back to sleep almost instantly in his arms.

When Blair awoke next, it was nine. She crept out of her room to make sure her mother had left for the day and then hunted down Dorota to ask her to make breakfast for she and Chuck. Dorota's eyes went wide and she began to lecture Blair, not realizing that Chuck had stayed over. "God always watching, Miss Blair!"

"Yes, well, thank you, Dorota," Blair responded, a tight smile on her lips. "But nothing happened last night. We just fell asleep watching movies is all."

Dorota gave her a look of disbelief and Blair scoffed, turning away from her. She heard the elevator and stepped back out into the foyer. "Hello?" She called out. All she saw was a blur of short, curly dark hair running at her and she was engulfed in someone's arms. She recognized the scent of cheap soap and shampoo as none other than her best friend and (ex) boyfriend (though she'd never _actually _broken up with him, just disappeared), Dan. "Dan! What are you doing here?" Blair managed to stutter out. She took a deep breath and winced from the pain of her ribcage. It was still bruised badly.

"It took forever to find you!" Dan said, hugging her tightly against him. He said something about how he found her but she wasn't paying attention. "I'm so glad you're okay! I've missed you, Blair."

"I missed you too," Blair said. She hadn't, not really, but she felt it was the polite thing to do. She felt the awkwardness set in. The situation was so odd. Here was Dan Humphrey, standing in front of her, having traveled a long way and gone through a lot to find her, and though she had never technically broken up with him, she had assumed that she had and that he would get the hint, as her new boyfriend was upstairs in her bed. Blair broke away from him, as he still hadn't let go of her. "Why are you here?"

"Aren't you happy to see me?" Dan asked.

"Well, it's always nice to see a familiar face," Blair said.

Dan furrowed his brow at her, trying to figure her out. "Blair, you're acting weird...Aren't you going to explain to me why you just up and left me, without any explanation of where you had gone?"

Blair frowned. "I'm sorry, Dan. I really am. I know, it was terrible. But there are things I just can't talk about. You just have to trust that it was the right thing to do and that it's the best for both of us."

"What are you talking about?" Dan demanded. His tone was starting to sound angry and he was glaring at her with stony eyes. "This is sounding a lot like a breakup."

"Dan, we aren't together," Blair said.

"News to me," Dan said. He looked like he had just been slapped in the face. Blair immediately felt bad for what she had done. "You could have at least said something! We've been friends for years! We've been dating for two! Are you really just going to through all of this away!?" He stepped toward her. She backed away. "We can do long distance."

Blair shook her head. "Dan, it's over. It has been. I thought you knew that."

"You left me without a word! How was I supposed to know!?" Dan exclaimed angrily.

Blair bit her lip, unsure of what to say or how to handle the situation. Of course, she felt horrible for being so mean to him but it had to be done. She couldn't keep the life she lived for all those years before she came to New York City. It was too dangerous. Her father could find out. He knew she had been with Dan.

"Blair?" Chuck's voice came from the top of the stairs. He stared down at the scene curiously.

Blair looked up at him, at first thankful he was there to break the tension, and then panicked because it would only make the situation worse.

"Is everything okay?" He asked.

Dan gave him a rude look. "Who the hell are you?" He looked at Blair. "Who the hell is that?"

Blair sighed loudly, utterly frustrated. The had a terrible headache and Dan's yelling was certainly not helping. Chuck looked at him like he was the simple most idiotic human being on the planet as he descended the stairs. Blair feared that the two might start fist fighting if she didn't intervene. "Dan, I think you need to go," Blair said. "Accept the fact that things have to be like this and move on. I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you. I truly am." She felt her insides twist together at the heartbreaking look on Dan's face.

"So that's it then?" Dan asked. "I'm just supposed to leave?"

"She asked you to go," Chuck said softly, no anger evident in his voice, yet still stern.

"You know what?" Dan said. "Fuck you!" He pointed at Chuck. He raised his fist but Blair grabbed his arm.

"I wouldn't do that," she said nervously.

He shook her off of him violently and she whimpered. Chuck grabbed her waist, comforting her. She flinched at his touch momentarily, the sting of pain bringing tears to her eyes. Realizing what he had done, Dan immediately apologized to Blair for hurting her. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm just extremely angry. And not to mention hurt."

"I understand," Blair whispered. "I'm sorry, Dan." She removed herself from Chuck's gentle grasp and kissed Dan lightly on the cheek, a friendly, parting gesture.

"I love you," Dan said.

Blair smiled sadly at him as he turned and departed from the foyer. "Please don't tell anyone from home you were here."

"I won't," Dan said. "I never would do anything to hurt you." And with those final words, he was gone.

She turned to look at Chuck, afraid he might be mad at her, ready to dive into her explanation. He just gazed back curiously at her. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about him," Blair said. "He was an ex-boyfriend I left back at home when we moved. I guess he didn't get the memo."

"That's alright," Chuck said, reaching out for her. She fell into his arms willingly, with ease, immediately comforted by the strength of him surrounding her, the warmth of his body against hers, and his addicting scent. "I understand." He kissed her on the temple, as if sensing that she had a headache.

"Breakfast, Miss Blair," Dorota said as she peaked into the room.

She took Chuck's hand and led him into the dining room, where they are Dorota's delicious breakfast and Blair downed several cups of coffee. When they were finished eating, they retreated back to her room. Blair had so much energy in her system that she was feeling jittery. Chuck seemed to notice and laughed. "Is that much caffeine really necessary, babe?"

Blair's heart leapt at the sound of the pet-name he'd called her. "Yes," she admitted, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "I can't wake myself up without it."

"I know a way to wake you up," Chuck said seductively, leaning in to kiss her gently on the lips. He deepened the kiss and ran his tongue along her lower lip, begging for access. She obliged, parting her lips just enough so their tongues could battle. He pulled her body hard against his and she tried hard to keep herself from wincing from the pain of her ribs. She intertwined her hands into his hair, pulling him closer against her, not leaving a single space between them. His hands ran down her lower back and down to her butt, which he ran his hand back and forth over, cupping it in his hand.

A loud chiming noise made them spring apart. Blair stood, hair disheveled, hot and bothered, and Chuck stood staring at her, lips parted, and wanting eyes. She tore her gaze away from him to find the source of the noise. It was her phone. Tempted as she was to ignore it, it might have been important. She picked it up and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, B," Serena's voice came over the speaker. "Whatcha up to?"

Blair smiled at the sound of her friend's voice. "I just finished eating breakfast," Blair replied as Chuck walked up behind her, placing his hands on her hips, pulling her backside against him. Her eyes went wide as he began to trail hot kisses down her neck. It was all she could manage to keep from moaning aloud. "What are you up to?"

"Oh, just wondering where my brother is," Serena said slyly. "Is he there with you?"

"As a matter of fact," Blair smiled, smacking Chuck on the chest and pushing him away from her. "He is. Would you like to speak with him? I'm sure he'd be delighted to hear from you." Chuck shook his head but Blair handed him the phone anyway. He rolled his eyes and let out a dramatic sigh before putting the phone to his ear.

"Hello, sis. Yes. Yes. No. Stop. That's none of your business...but no. Yeah, we are. Yeah, she is," he grinned at Blair. She blushed under his gaze. He pulled the phone down a bit. "You still on for your movie with Serena this evening?" He asked her. She nodded. "Yes. 6:30?" She nodded again. "Okay, I'll be getting off here now. Nice hearing from you." He hung up the phone. "Serena said bye and she'll see you at 6:30." He tossed the phone onto the bed. "Now, where were we?"

"I was just about to shower," Blair said. "And you were just about to lay here like a good little boy and wait for me to get out, okay?"

Chuck pouted at her and she kissed his lips. He was too cute. "Okay." He huffed, sitting down on the bed.

Blair giggled and made her way into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She turned on the shower all the way up, making sure it was the hottest she could stand. She stripped her clothes off and looked at herself in the mirror. Her bruises were healing well but they were definitely still there. They were still visible and she could definitely still feel them at times. She sighed. She got into the shower, trying to be quick but still thorough with her job. She let the hot water run over her body and relax her tense muscles. When she was finished, she wrapped a towel around herself and padded out into her bedroom.

Chuck looked up at her and his dark eyes immediately grew darker, filling with lust. She tried her best to ignore him but she felt the blush creep up her neck, her face growing hot, her mind getting flustered. "Wow," Chuck said. "It was hard enough to have to imagine you in the shower and now...you're just teasing me out here in only a towel."

Blair rolled her eyes. "I'm not teasing. I just didn't have any clothes in the bathroom, dork." She went to her closet and pulled out her favorite button-up blouse with an open back and a large bow sewn into it and some black leather leggings. She turned around to see Chuck staring at her, biting his lip seductively. He was making it so goddamn hard to wait. He was so sexy. She wanted him so badly but she knew she wasn't ready yet. Especially not with those nasty bruised all over her body. That would just lead to questions that she wasn't ready to answer. She stuck her tongue out at him and traipsed back into the bathroom.

"No bra or underwear?" He called after her.

"Never," she replied in a haughty voice.

Chuck groaned. "You're killing me."

Blair giggled and got dressed, returning to him in the bedroom.

"All perverted comments aside, you look gorgeous," Chuck said, looking her up and down. His eyes caught on hers. "You always do."

"Thank you," Blair replied softly. "So what's on the agenda for today? I don't have plans until I go to the movie with Serena."

"My day is completely free but my night is also booked up," Chuck said. "Nate and I are hitting up the club on this fine evening."

Blair bit back her jealousy. She didn't want any other girls touching him, let alone looking at him. Now that he was hers, she wanted the other women to know that. He was a gorgeous human, he was sure to get hit on at a club. She couldn't hide the disappointment of her frown. "Not to worry," Chuck said, tilting her chin up and pecking her on the lips. "You're my one and only." She smiled up at him, feeling a little better. "I was thinking we could tour the city a little today, maybe go to the top of the Empire State building, go to the park."

"That sounds lovely!" Blair said.

And it was. They had a wonderful day together, walking around the city hand-in-hand, exploring different things and laughing together. When it was time to return home, Blair was a little sad to be departing from Chuck. She'd had such a good day with him and now that made him going out tonight even worse. She feared that all she was going to do was worry. She tried not to think about it as he kissed her goodbye with a passionate kiss.


End file.
